Staying power and sillage without the agressive/sharp/masculine note of the 80's?...

I have been testing some 80's powerhouses for their sillage and staying power, including Poison, Paris YSL and Coco.

After a few hours they all smell pretty much the same to me. I DO admire the sillage, staying power and enveloping qualities of such scents - yet I have never been able to really love a serious powerhouse of the 80's because of that sharp, aggressive, masculine note which I find they all have in common (yes, even Paris with its garden of roses). I believe Paloma Picasso has it too.

It is not that they are strong and heady that bothers me. It is that "sharp note". I am not a sophisticated nose so I am not sure exactly what kind of note or combination of notes these 80's creatures draw their aggressive-ness from. I just know that note is very tiring and annoying to me and that, throughout the day, it adds up to too much.

When I wear these perfumes I feel like I am forced to slave away in corporate settings, pretending to be the super-woman who can do it all and do it perfectly...and there's nothing I abhor more than this "forced feminist" feeling and the treadmill life it inspires.

Other than Samsara, which is the ONLY scent with the amazing power and sillage of the 80's but without that sharp, aggressive note screaming "square padded shoulders in corporate settings"...I don't know anything else that would qualify.

I am looking for examples of scents that would inspire these qualities:
round, soft, feminine, personal, curves (not curves as in "fat", curves as in "curved lines"), deep, non-superficial, homey yet high-end and sophisticated, "estate"-ish in an "old money", not "new money" kind of way.
Somehow these scents would also have serious staying power and sillage.

Throughout the years, I have found this entire package extremely hard to find. The ONLY scents I was able to sample that reflect such qualities are Samsara and Shalimar - though I find Shalimar to have very little sillage and not necessarily great staying power.
Maybe L'Heure Blue...but for whatever reason, I find this perfume very difficult to wear, even though I like it in theory.

So Samsara.

But then again...out of curiosity, what else is out there? Maybe some niche that would blow me away?
Unfortunately, as I move into the 90's and 2000's I have to dodge at every step the mass-produced, sugary-fruity superficiality that characterize these decades when it comes to perfumes.

Re: Staying power and sillage without the agressive/sharp/masculine note of the 80's?...

First thought that hit me was Bois des iles by Chanel, L'artisan's Tea for two and maybe also Tam Dao. Tam Dao is predominately woody, but I still find it quite soft and one of my comfort scents... Non of these have a lot of silage on my skin,though...

Re: Staying power and sillage without the agressive/sharp/masculine note of the 80's?...

+1 Bois des Isles, more likely in parfum concentration. It is also based on sandalwood, as Samsara.

Your description of round, soft, but deep and with high quality ingredients makes me think about reformulated Caron. Fraysse, the current perfumer, has been criticized for giving curves and smoothness to previously daring perfumes. Carons are usually sold in edt, which is not especially long lasting, but the boutiques have the extrait, which is long lasting.

Larimar is our expert on Carons, so he might be able to give you suggestions. I think he especially likes En Avion. I haven't smelled En Avion in extrait. My favorite edt is Nuit de Noel.

Re: Staying power and sillage without the agressive/sharp/masculine note of the 80's?...

l think l know what you mean, Syracusa. l love Samsara & Shalimar too, for the exact same reasons that you described. l also love L'Heure Bleue, but l find it so calming & reflective that l can only wear it for quiet nights in.

Two fragrances l recently fell in love with that l think you may like;

Stoned by Solange Azagury-Partridge, a rich, round, very soothing amber & labdanum fragrance. This one is terribly expensive, but you can get a sample from Luckyscent to see if you like it.

Re: Staying power and sillage without the agressive/sharp/masculine note of the 80's?...

Originally Posted by GelbeDomino

Sublime de Patou

There you go!
This is the third fragrance in my wardrobe. My three "children". I only have three scents ...which might sound insane to some people here. :-)

Perhaps I should stop at three and just quit looking?

I do, however, need to keep an eye for something summery. Somehow, I can't make these 3 work in the summer months.
Maybe Sublime, but I'd rather go for something refreshing, green and with huge sillage.

Re: Staying power and sillage without the agressive/sharp/masculine note of the 80's?...

Originally Posted by Alicka61

Have you ever tried to settle down these "sharp masculine" notes? They usually transform to heaven base notes.

How should I settle them down? ...

I get them all day - and by the end of the day I am literally "olfactorily" exhausted.
This morning when I entered my office (at home) Poison was all over the place. I had left several store cards on the desk sprayed with a variety of fragrances including Poison, Paris, Gucci by Gucci, Insolence, J'Adore and Shalimar...and I finally understood why they called Poison THE BOMB.

Don't get me wrong, I do like it overall - it smells quite amazing and convincing...but that sharp note seems to be TOO dominant and tiring. Almost like too much of a good thing.
This was all I could get.